Take You With Me, If I Can
by PunkPinkPower
Summary: Serena and Lauren meet as kids, and then again as adults.


Notes: Title from the song "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons. I think it's quite possibly their anthem.

* * *

She sits at her mother's feet, watching the other people in the room. The woman in blue looks angry, and the two older men are sitting with their children across from her, polar opposites. The one in green is bouncing the little boy on his lap happily. The one in the pale whitish pink looks stern and holds the baby in his arms, unmoving.

The woman in red comes back into the room.

"I hope you don't mind waiting," she says with a nice, warm smile to the room at large. She brings Serena a glass of milk. "They'll be back soon, and we can talk about everything."

Serena sips her milk, looks up at her mother and her mother's big round stomach where her baby sister is sleeping inside. She wonders again why they're here, why they had to leave home so quickly, but her mother gives her an encouraging smile, so she thinks it can't be bad.

But the woman in the blue doesn't look so convinced.

"Just tell me," she says, standing and looking around. "Did all of you know about your spouse's little family secret?"

The two men exchange glances.

"I'm just saying, everyone seems pretty calm," she looks back at the woman in red. "So I'm the only one who didn't know, then?"

"I think we should wait," she says bracingly, in a tone Serena recognizes as one like her mom uses when she doesn't want to tell Serena something, "And discuss things when everyone gets back."

But then the adults start arguing, and Serena doesn't like it, so she inches over towards the door of the room and thinks maybe she'll slip out into the hallway instead, but when she turns she finds herself face to face with another little girl.

She gasps, freezes. The little girl's eyes are extremely wide, like she's either very excited or has just been scared silly. Or maybe has had too much caffeine. Serena can't tell.

But then the other girl leans closer to her, her slick blonde hair falling over her shoulder. "I have a fort," she whispers to Serena, "In my room. It's a special fort, just for Samurai Princesses."

Serena nods, waits. Is she supposed to find that exciting? Is she supposed to be impressed? She doesn't know.

Then, though, the girl's eyes go to one side, and then the other, like she's checking to see if anyone is watching, and she says. "You wanna see it?"

Serena looks back in the room, sees the adults still arguing loudly, and then back at the other girl. She nods.

The girl takes her hand, and then leads Serena down the halls of the large house at a run.

* * *

"A dragon!" Lauren shouts, from the tower of her fort. "Quick, Samurai Yellow! Shoot it down!"

Serena picks up her magnificent bow and arrow (which is really just a bendy stick and some yarn) and makes sound effects in the general direction of their foe.

"And I will use my awesome super duper Samurai Sealing power and lock it in a dungeon!" Lauren says, charging forward with her paintbrush. She imagines herself drawing a magnificent symbol, and unleashing it on the dragon.

"What if the dragon is immune?" Serena asks dramatically from the tower.

Lauren makes a dramatic noise, falls to her knees. "Then it is up to you Samurai Yellow! Finish him!"

But then the door opens, and Lauren stands abruptly, dropping her paintbrush and kicking it into the cushion fort. It's only Ji, though, so she deflates.

"Aw, Ji," she says dejectedly, "You're standing in the dragon."

Ji makes a face, quickly steps to the side. "Oh, sorry Mr. Dragon," he says, and then he looks over at Lauren with a raised eyebrow. "And what exactly were we playing?" Ji asks.

"Pretty, Pretty Samurai Princess Warriors," Lauren says with an innocent smile.

"Lauren," Ji scolds, and she tries to look cute.

"What?" She objects. "I incorporated the ideas from your game. We're pretty samurai princesses! Besides, the Dragon was attacking the town. What did you want me to do?"

Ji grins mischievously at her, but then eye's Serena. "I see you found someone to help you defeat him."

Lauren nods happily. Serena hops down from the tower of the fort, smiling. "I shot him with my arrows of fury."

Ji smiles. "You must be Serena," he says, holding out his hand. Serena nods, shakes his hand happily. "I'm Ji. Now, come on, playtime is over. You're parents are looking for you."

"But we can play some more tomorrow," Serena says hopefully, glancing at Lauren. "Right?"

Ji nods, showing the out of Lauren's room. "Maybe after lessons."

* * *

"You do not," Serena insists, taking a large bite of her apple slice.

"Do so," Lauren says back, eating her hot dog.

"Four?" Serena asks, skeptical. "Really?"

Lauren nods happily. "French, Italian, Japanese, and Latin."

Serena knows she's making it up now. "Now I know you're fibbing. Nobody speaks Latin."

And then Lauren grins this evil little grin and says something... Latin-y.

"What?" Serena asks.

"I said, 'I do'!" Lauren says gleefully. "And I said it in Latin."

"How do you speak four foreign languages?" Serena wants to know.

Lauren looks very proud of herself as she says, "I'm gifted."

"Are you showing off?" Lauren's mom comes over to their table, and tickles Lauren. Lauren squeaks, tries to worm her way away. Serena laughs.

"Mom, I'm gonna throw up!" Lauren insists, and her mother stops tickling her. She hoists Lauren onto her lap instead as the Michelle Shiba takes her seat.

"What do you like to do, Serena?" Michelle asks, and Serena shrugs.

"I like playing with the chickens on our farm," she answers, and Lauren's eyes widen.

"You have chickens?" She asks, baffled. Her eyes are comically wide, more so than her usual severe look.

Serena nods. "Some of them are awful mean, though. If you pester them too much they'll chase you away and peck at your ankles with their sharp beaks!"

Lauren gasps, and Serena laughs.

Michelle smiles. "It looks like you two have a lot you can teach each other."

* * *

For Valentine's Day, all their parents go out. Serena and Lauren and the babies stay in the house with Ji, painting valentines and watching stupid lovey-dovey movies on the TV. Ji pretty much has his hands full with the little kids, so when they get the chance, Lauren and Serena change the channel to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

"Here," Lauren says, and she hands Serena a fake rose that came on top of her mom's box of chocolates.

"What's this for?" Serena asks, taking the pretty silk rose anyway.

"Dad says you're supposed to give stuff to your best friend on Valentine's Day," Lauren says, shrugging. "I didn't have any candy."

"I'm your best friend?" Serena asks. She has a big smile on her face, like this is a big deal for her.

Lauren shrugs. "You're my only friend, so you're definitely my best one."

Serena smiles, holds the rose to her chest happily. "You're strange," she says fondly, but then she reaches out and takes Lauren's hand with her own. "But I like you."

Lauren holds onto Serena's hand with her own, smiles back. "I like you, too."

* * *

Serena's baby sister gets there one night in June. There's lots of yelling, and she and Lauren are told to stay in Lauren's room and play. Only they get interrupted every few minutes by the sounds of her mom in horrible pain, and Serena finds it hard to be distracted by make believe dragons and monsters.

"We could play dress up," Lauren says, putting her paint brush down. "You can wear the fairy wings?"

Serena shakes her head. "Do you think my baby sister is okay?"

Lauren nods. "Oh yeah," she says confidently. "Ji will make sure of it. He helped my little brother be born, too, and my mom said he is great at it."

Another loud scream penetrates the wall. "What do you suppose is happening?"

"Maybe," Lauren says, and Serena hears the note in her voice that signals she's about to get weird again, "Babies are brought by a giant supernatural being that our parents call 'The Stork', and it has to come through some sort of interdimensional portal to bring the babies, and it requires a lot of pain of the mother to open the portal."

"But then why do ladies stomachs get so big?" Serena wonders, staring at the door.

"That's where the portal is," Lauren says enthusiastically. "Right in our belly buttons."

Serena slaps a hand over her belly button. "That's gross."

Lauren shrugs. "Babies are gross. Have you seen them throw up?"

* * *

They sit against the wall of their fort, holding hands as they listen to the noises outside. It's dark, the power having gone out hours ago, and there are a lot of loud clashes.

Serena starts each time a particularly loud noise is heard. "I'm scared," she confides gently, and Lauren squeezes her hand.

"Don't worry," she says reassuringly. "Our dad's are going to win. They always win."

Serena nods, tries to believe. But everything out there sounds so scary.

But then the noises stop, and just when she's getting hopeful, Ji and Michelle rush into the room.

"Lauren," Michelle says, reaching for her. There are tears in her eyes. "You have to go with a friend. It isn't safe for you here, honey."

"What?" Lauren asks, her hand clinging tightly to Serena's. "What about Serena?"

"Serena has to stay, honey. Come on, we have to go now," Michelle says, and she tries to pry their hands apart as Ji lifts Lauren up.

Serena stands with her. "Wait!" She calls, holding as tightly as she can to Lauren, trailing behind them even as Michelle tries to hold her back. "Where are you taking her?"

"Serena!" Lauren calls out, as Michelle succeeds in pulling their hands apart.

"Lauren!" Serena calls back, and then she's being pulled to face Michelle as Lauren disappears around a corner.

"Serena, listen to me," Michelle says, shaking her shoulders. "This is very important. You never met Lauren. You never saw her. Her existence has to be a secret, do you understand me?"

Serena shakes her head tearfully. "But why?"

"Serena, one day you will understand, but right now Lauren has to go, and you have to keep quiet, you understand?" Michelle says, and she shakes Serena's shoulders a little again.

Tearfully, Serena nods, and Michelle stands and sprints from the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Serena alone.

* * *

"But what about Serena?" Lauren wails as Ji carries her out of the house. "What about Jayden? I don't understand Ji, why do I have to leave?"

"Lauren, trust me, we will see each other again someday," Ji says fiercely to her.

"And Jayden and Serena too?" Lauren asks, tearful.

"And Jayden and Serena too," Ji promises. "But right now you have to go someplace safe, where you'll be protected."

Ji gives her a fierce hug, and then a man on a horse pulls into the courtyard.

"Ji!" Lauren's mother comes out of the house behind them, gives Lauren a hard kiss on the forehead and a hard hug. "Get her to safety. I'll distract them."

"Michelle!" Ji calls, but her mother is already heading towards the back gates of the house, a sword in her hand.

Ji hefts her onto a horse in front of a man she's never seen before, and then they're speeding off.

Lauren looks behind her, see's Ji looking fearful, and she sees the Shiba house, her home. In a window, she see's Serena's tear strained face, waving goodbye.

* * *

The first thing that crosses her mind when she gets the news, sitting in the doctor's office, and realizes what it means, is how disappointed Lauren will be in her.

She hasn't said Lauren's name aloud for almost twelve years. She'd kept her promise, kept Lauren's very existence a secret. But now, when she realizes she won't be going back to the Shiba house as the Yellow Samurai, her heart sinks. And she realizes that she probably won't ever see Lauren again.

She keeps her head up, though, for Emily. She tries to stay positive, despite how downtrodden she feels. She wants Emily to be able to go in her place and have a good time, and she doesn't say anything about Lauren.

Except when Emily is leaving.

She pulls her in tight for a hug as they say their quick goodbyes, and Emily gives her a worried smile.

"You'll do fine," Serena promises, pinching Emily's cheek.

"Sweetheart, you'd better go," their dad says, wrapping an arm around Serena's shoulders.

"Hey," Serena calls as Emily starts to run off. Emily turns. _Say hi to Lauren for me_, she wants to say. But she knows that she can't. So instead she calls, "Say hi to the Red Ranger for me!"

When Emily is gone, her dad gives her shoulders a hard squeeze. And Serena goes back to her room to lie down, feeling tired.

But before she does, she reaches into her bedside drawers, and pulls out a small satin rose.

"I'm sorry I let you down, Lauren," she tells the rose, and she holds it while she falls asleep.

* * *

The yellow ranger isn't Serena. It's the first thing she notices, after she's seen her brother again for the first time. She's smaller in stature, her face is rounder, and her eyes aren't right.

It must be her sister, she thinks, Emily. The baby born in the house all those years ago. But then… where is Serena?

She'd been expecting to see her as much as Jayden and Ji. It had been a part of the promised package. _Jayden and Serena, too._

She can't exactly ask Emily. Emily was just a baby when it all went down, and she doesn't want to bring up anything if something bad has happened to Serena.

But _what if_ something bad has happened to Serena?

She asks Ji, when she gets a chance.

"She got sick," Ji says apologetically, like it's the first time he's thought of it in a long time. "She had to worry about her health, and couldn't become a ranger."

"But she's okay?" Lauren asks worriedly.

Ji nods. "Yes, Emily writes to her often."

As long as she's okay, Lauren thinks.

* * *

Serena can't wait to write to Emily and tell her that she's better. She's been given a clean bill of health from her doctor, several operations and treatments later, and she knows that Emily will be relieved to hear it.

Only when she and her mother get home from the doctor, her dad already has tears of joy on his face.

"She did it," he says proudly. "They did it."

And so Serena finds herself delivering the good news to her sister in person, at the Shiba house.

They hug so tightly that Serena can't breathe, and when she tells Emily that she's better, completely better, they hug just as tightly again.

Emily happily introduces her to all of the rangers, and she shakes all of their hands, remembers briefly what most of them looked like as little kids.

She introduces Jayden as the Red Ranger, and Serena wonders. But then she sees her, standing beside Ji, smiling.

"Hey, Lauren," Serena greets, and Emily does a double take.

"Hi Serena," Lauren nods back, and Serena can't keep the happy smile off her face.

"You two," Emily says, confused, "Know each other?"

"Sure," Serena says casually, a glint in her eyes. "We played Pretty, Pretty Samurai Princess Warriors, a time or two."

"And defeated a few dragons," Lauren adds with a laugh.

Serena doesn't know if it's okay to hug her or not. Lauren seems different, a little bit more reserved than the wild, wide eyed girl she'd know. Not any less warm, but less open about it, maybe.

They're distracted by the loud soundings of a guitar, and the pink ranger exclaims exasperatedly at who Serena thinks is her little brother.

Then there's music, and dancing, and toasts, and the rangers tell them all happy stories about their adventures together. Serena listens to a good many of them, admires Emily's attempts to include her at all costs, and sees the way her little sister has grown up. She's maybe a little bit jealous, of course, at everything Emily got to do, but she can see that Emily was meant for it, and she's not sorry at all.

She catches Lauren later at the table full of delicious food. "I am going to gorge myself," she admits, biting into a slice of pineapple, the juices running down her chin. "It's been a long time since food like this didn't make me sick."

"I heard about your illness," Lauren says, and she offers Serena a napkin. "I'm sorry it kept you away."

"Me too," Serena admits, wiping her chin. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to be your Yellow Samurai."

"It's okay," Lauren says. She glances over at the other rangers, all still happily chatting and laughing. "This is going to sound strange," she warns.

"You're strange," Serena interrupts, and the old chirp startles a smile out of Lauren.

"In a way I'm glad," she continues, and she looks bashful. "When I came back, when I'd finally mastered the sealing symbol, they were all Jayden's team. And they loved him so. If you'd been here, well…" She hesitates, and Serena ducks her head, prompts her to go on. "You wouldn't have been on my team, anymore. So I'm glad."

Serena smiles at her. "I was always on your team."

Lauren smiles at her, and then gets a mischievous look that Serena recognizes. "Are we still best friends?"

Serena nods. "Of course," she says, and she holds out her hand to Lauren. "Best friends and Pretty Princess Samurai Warriors."

Lauren laughs, and she takes Serena's hand, and then hugs her tight.

* * *

"I can't believe you knew," Emily tells her as they pack her things up from her room.

Serena looks up from the photo album Emily has kept for her. "I was sworn to secrecy. I didn't know she wouldn't be here when you got back. When you mentioned Jayden in your letters, I wondered, but I couldn't say anything."

"You could have told me!" Emily insists, folding a shirt. "I'm your sister!"

"It wasn't my secret to tell," Serena says, and she stands, puts the photo album in Emily's bag and helps her back a few more things away. "Besides, it was pretty important that you didn't know."

"I guess," Emily agrees. Then, "So you two were friends as kids?"

Serena nods. "All the time our parents were fighting, we lived here together, for a couple of years."

Emily looks surprised. "Ji never said anything," she says.

"He probably didn't want to make anyone accidentally remember Lauren," she surmises, looking at a pretty snow globe on Emily's dresser. "But then, he always was pretty cryptic."

"Oh yeah," Emily laughs.

* * *

"I didn't realize we had so much in common," Jayden tells her, and Lauren looks over at him.

"What?" She asks, tilting her head at her younger brother.

Jayden smiles, comes into her room. "You and Serena. Best friends, separated as kids, growing up to be rangers together. Or planning, to, anyway."

"The circumstances were a little different," she says, moving her feet so Jayden can sit down on her bed. "I didn't steal a zord to give to a non-samurai."

Jayden waves her, and her reprimand, off. "Still, more in common than not."

Lauren brings a hand up to toy with the hair at the nape of her neck nervously. "I guess," she agrees.

"The question," Jayden says cautious, sitting down, "Is exactly how much in common."

Lauren raises an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"Siblings are supposed to be the ones you talk about this stuff with," Jayden says dramatically, and Lauren laughs at him. "Seriously, we have lost time to make up for. I'm not playing. Let's talk about relationships."

"This is exactly the sort of stuff samurai training doesn't prepare you for," she says, only half joking. Jayden laughs at her. "I'm serious," she continues, "I never had any friends, let alone time to think about having boyfriends and girlfriends."

"You had a friend," Jayden reminds, "Maybe not for very long, but take it from me when I say having one friend can make all the difference."

"Maybe," Lauren agrees, shrugging. "What exactly do you want to talk about?"

Jayden shrugs. "Nothing I guess," he says nonchalantly. "Just letting you know that I'm here, if you want to talk about it. If there's anything to talk about."

"What happened between you and Antonio isn't what's happening with me and Serena," Lauren warns him.

Jayden looks at her. "Okay," he says calmly.

"It's not the same!" She insists, laughing.

"I'm just saying," Jayden holds up his hands good naturedly. "When she spend your whole life thinking about someone, wondering what happened to them, wondering if you'll ever see them again… it's sort of normal for feelings to… _develop_."

"Mmmm," Lauren hums, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I'll let you know if anything _develops_."

* * *

Lauren comes to stay with them for a few weeks when they come home. Serena runs out to greet her when the car drops her off, waving enthusiastically.

They hug like they haven't seen each other in years, even though it's only been a week.

Serena finally gets to show her the farm, and the chickens, and Serena makes one of them chase Lauren around the yard so that Serena has to save her, and they laugh and Lauren smacks her arm.

They got for long walks in the morning before chores, and then again in the evening after dinner. Lauren's an impossibly hard worker, and it's probably the most fun Serena has ever had trying to teach a very earnest and desperate-to-please 24 year old how to milk a cow.

"How long are you staying?" Serena asks her one evening, when Emily has waved them off on their walk to have a video conference with Antonio and Mia.

"How long can I stay?" Lauren wonders, picking at the strings hanging down from her borrowed cut off top of Serena's.

"As long as you want," Serena says, reaching over and tugging on one of Lauren's pigtails. "Me casa es su casa."

"What?" Lauren wonders, giving Serena a curious look.

"My house is your house." Serena can't help the glee that probably overcomes her face. "What," she wonders curiously, trying to look innocent, "Ms. I Speak Four Languages never bothered to learn Spanish?"

Lauren's eyes go a little wide, but then she grins at the insult. She replies, of course, in some strange language Serena doesn't recognize.

"What?" Serena demands, and Lauren grins.

"That was Finnish," she says happily, "for 'you have the memory of an elephant'."

Serena laughs, reaches over and tugs Lauren's pigtail playfully again. "And that will be the last time you ever compare me to an elephant." And then she takes off running down the hill. "Come on, I'll race you!"

They tie, of course.

* * *

Serena visits the Shiba house every time Emily does that winter, so they see each other four or five times before the holidays. Lauren enjoys it each time, and the two of them spend a good deal of time by themselves while Jayden and his team reminisce.

Lauren teaches Serena how to count in four different languages, and Serena spends a good deal of time styling Lauren's hair in varying ways.

When they come for the holidays, they bring all of their families again. Which is fine, because the house is plenty huge enough for everyone and Lauren often thinks that it should be filled like this more. Jayden, Ji, Antonio, and herself don't take up that much space, and without the other rangers around, most of the house often feels empty.

There's a lot of activity, and the older rangers end up spending a lot of time telling the younger rangers about their time together. Lauren doesn't remember a lot of it, really. Her best memories of those days were spending time with Serena.

Lauren goes into the kitchen to make tea to avoid listening to the other rangers tell her how wonderful her parents were. That part she remembers, and it's Jayden who needs to hear it more than she does.

"I think we should just litter the house with mistletoe tonight while everyone is sleeping," Serena sneaks up behind her, making Lauren jump out of her skin as she whispers in her ear. "Sorry," she giggles, stepping to Lauren's side.

"Mistletoe?" Lauren wonders, looking back into the living room at their friends. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"No," Serena admits, looking excited, "But just think of the chaos it will cause."

Lauren can't help the smile that spreads across her lips from Serena's infectious glee. "I'm not sure that's very fair," she warns, handing Serena a cup of tea and taking one for herself. "And everyone will have to kiss in front of their parents!"

Serena nods enthusiastically. "So you're in, right?"

Which is how Lauren finds herself sneaking out of her room late that night to meet Serena in the kitchen. To her surprise, Serena wasn't kidding about doing the whole house. She has a _box_ full of mistletoe.

"You plan ahead," Lauren says, picking up one of the little green decorations.

They put one in every single archway they can, going in and out of the kitchen, living room, patio, sleeping quarters, the front door, and even the library; though Lauren thinks the only person likely to end up in there on Christmas is Kevin.

They're fixing the last one up to the ceiling of the common room when Serena says, "We should get up early to watch the awkwardness ensue."

"You just don't want me to get any sleep tonight," Lauren says, but she doesn't care. This is probably going to be the most fun she'll have the whole holiday season.

"I'll make you some peppermint coffee," Serena says, taking her hands down from the last mistletoe as though that settles it.

"I think that's all of them," Lauren takes her own hands down from the decoration, looks over at her slightly taller partner in crime with a grin.

Serena looks back at her with a small thoughtful smile, makes a little noise of agreement. Then, in the semi-darkness, she leans over and plants a gentle kiss on Lauren's lips.

Lauren freezes, the warmth of Serena's soft lips pressing against her own chapped ones registering somewhere in her head at the same time she hears Jayden's smug voice sing-songing "I told you so".

She closes her eyes, tries to figure out what normal people do when kisses, a subject she hasn't thought about in _years_. For so long, it had been only the sealing symbol, and duty, and her destiny, and…_ and Serena_, she thinks with a small shock. All of her obligations, all of her training… and she'd gone to bed every night remembering Ji's promise… _Jayden and Serena, too. _

Lauren reaches out with her hand, fumbles for a moment, and then finds Serena's in the darkness. Their fingers lace together as Serena pulls away, and Lauren lets herself open her eyes slightly.

Her face must look a little shocked, because Serena laughs like she always does when she thinks Lauren's being strange, and points upward. "Mistletoe," she supplies as explanation.

In the morning, they snuggle on the sofa under a large warm blanket, sharing a mug of peppermint coffee and snicker with glee each time someone gets caught under the mistletoe.

They catch Mia's parent's first, who lovingly embrace. Then Ji and Jayden come through, and while Ji look's disapproving, Jayden plants a happy kiss on his cheek. Mike ends up giving Mia a large wet kiss on the cheek when she refuses and tries to fight him off, and it leads to the two of them chasing each other around the house all morning playfully fighting. Emily and Kevin plant little chaste kisses on each other's cheeks French style, and Antonio comes over and jumps on top of Lauren and Serena and kisses them both.

It goes on throughout the day, everyone kissing everyone with amused looks, until finally Kevin catches Antonio and Jayden making out in the hallway under some mistletoe and decrees that enough is enough.

Which of course leads every single one of the rangers to tackle him to the ground and kiss him until he changes his mind.

* * *

They spend Valentine's Day together.

Lauren buys Serena a box of chocolates and a Ninja Turtle Valentine, and Serena gives Lauren… a familiar silk rose.

Lauren turns it over in her hand for a minute, and then smiles. "I can't believe you kept this," she admits, and Serena blushes.

"It was the only thing I had of you," she explains, and they start walking down the path in the park again. "I was told that you officially didn't exist, that I wasn't allowed to talk about you or ask questions about you… and the rose was the only thing I had to prove I hadn't imagined you."

Lauren doesn't know what to say back, so she just holds onto the rose as they walk.

"Besides," Serena says after a few minutes, nudging Lauren's arm. "You're supposed to give gifts to your best friend on Valentine's Day."

* * *

Nepal is a bit colder than Serena would have imagined it was, but it's still pretty breathtaking. They spend quite a while going through the markets, and everywhere they go, people tip their hats to Lauren, do little bows, and act like she's royalty.

Which she is, Serena has to keep reminding herself, and she realizes belatedly that they haven't paid for anything. Serena supposes being a Shiba has its benefits.

"I can't believe you lived here all this time," Serena says again, marveling at some of the unusual architecture.

"It's a hub of practicing martial artists," Lauren explains, waving hello to a fruit vendor as they pass. "So a little girl being raised by a bunch of monks didn't look odd."

Serena smiles, then watches as a woman comes over and offers Lauren a beautiful bouquet. Lauren takes it, gives the woman a warm smile and says thank you. When the woman is gone, Lauren gives her the bouquet.

Serena grins, smells the beautiful flowers. "I can't believe people all just know who you are. And give you all these things for free!"

"Word travels fast in the clans," Lauren says, hoisting a shopping bag onto her shoulder as they leave the market. "Speaking of, we'd better get to the temple, or we'll be late for the meeting."

"Wouldn't want that," Serena agrees playfully, sniffing the flowers again.

She wasn't sure exactly what she was in for when Lauren had asked her to accompany her to a meeting of the Samurai elders. Only that Lauren wanted another representative of the Samurai rangers with her, and when Serena had explained amusedly that she wasn't actually a member of the Samurai team, remember, Lauren had just grinned and said, "But you're my team."

It goes pretty smoothly, she thinks, and she doesn't actually have to say anything or do much, but it's interesting to listen to all of these old men and women defer to _Lauren_.

There is some complaining that Antonio isn't there, since he is the first of his name and therefore the only member of his clan. Lauren waves it off, explains he has other obligations and then with some venom insists that they can't expect him to take his duties seriously if they won't officially declare him a proper Samurai.

Serena sniggers.

She is somewhat surprised, however, when several of the elders congratulate her on overcoming her illness. Apparently, these Samurai elders know everything.

When they're finished, they go sightseeing, and Serena can't help it. "Seriously," she asks, while they look out over the landscape from the top of a beautiful temple. "Why'd you bring me? I have done nothing but amuse you."

Lauren grins. "Exactly!" She agrees, bumping Serena's shoulder.

They do a little bit of hiking in the beautiful mountains, Serena takes an afternoon nap in their room at the monastery after the hike wears her out, and then they go out to dinner dressed in beautiful flowing silk robes and watch amazing shadow Kabuki plays.

After dinner, Serena convinces Lauren to shirk out of some of her robes and climb on top of one of the roofs with her to watch the fireworks that start going off.

"You are a terrible influence," Lauren laughs as Serena pulls her up and they carefully sit down on the tile of the roof.

"I am a wonderful influence," she disagrees happily, taking Lauren's hand and wrapping hers around it. "Someone has to socialize you."

Lauren hums agreement, and they watch the fireworks in silence.

"They're for us, you know," Lauren says a few moments later, when a brilliant yellow one has just fallen out of the sky. "A blessing."

"Everything's for you here," Serena teases, but Lauren shakes her head.

"No," she says, and then she's blushing and Serena wonders why. "I mean, they're for us. The elders wanted to meet you since we've been… spending so much time together."

Serena watches Lauren go back to watching the fireworks nonchalantly, and then she realizes what Lauren means. "Oh," she says, and Lauren grins. "They really do know everything, don't they?"

"Everything," Lauren agrees, and she squeezes Serena's hand.

"So," Serena drawls, nudging her. "Did they like me?"

Lauren laughs. "If they didn't, they wouldn't have been glad you got better."

"Yikes," Serena says, and a rather loud firework explodes overhead.

"They mostly like you because I like you," Lauren admits, giving Serena a grin. "But it doesn't hurt that you're a samurai in your own right."

"Awe," Serena sniggers, "You like me."

"Hush," Lauren says, hiding her smile. "Watch the fireworks."

Serena does, tilts her head over to lay it on Lauren's shoulder while the fireworks continue to explode in front of them. When they die down, Lauren twists her head a little, and Serena doesn't make it easy for her. She keeps her head perfectly still, until finally Lauren jostles her head with her shoulder a little.

Serena laughs before twisting her head so that Lauren can press their lips together, and then she feels Lauren grin against her lips. They giggle, their lips softly touching and their foreheads pressed together.

Serena gets her giggles under control. Lauren looks at her. "Are you quite finished?"

Serena leans up, presses another kiss against Lauren's lips, and gives her a sweet smile. "Not for a while."

And they kiss, holding hands on top of the roof, their silk robes blowing softly in the wind as the smell of smoke and fireworks fades away.


End file.
